Linen treasures

I mentioned I did a little op shopping with friends yesterday & happened across a 'Linen & Lace' sale. I asked my friends before we entered the shop to hold me accountable & stop (I say, STOP) me from buying any more stuff for my home. Having just moved house, "I do not need more stuff", I said, emphatically! Yeah, yeah, you know where we're heading ... here are my treasures:Beautiful handstitched guest towels, six crisp, white, linen napkins with hand crocheted edges & metres of vintage braid, all purchased for next to nothing. I ease the guilt I feel in paying so little for things so painstakingly crafted by women of yesteryear by telling myself that they will be lovingly cared for & appreciated in my hands.All in all, I think I was quite restrained in my purchasing considering, but it will be all I can do not to visit the shop again today & see what other treasure I can unearth!

Don't like Mondays? ... Tell me why!

The Boomtown Rats got it wrong surely?! I have had a great Monday. A visit from lovely friends who came bearing house-warming gifts... and who share my love of fabric & quilting, so what else was there to do but to do a little shopping...... and a little eating, more than one coffee & lots of talking! Our day culminated in finding a 'linen & lace' sale at one of the local op shops - what treasures there were to be found! (I will post about my purchases tomorrow when they are washed & pressed). And to cap off a wonderful start to the week, I came home to find these waiting for me, on loan from a new quilting friend I met on the weekend: Quilting blogs have been raving about the Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini & I am very excited to have befriended someone who has the entire collection! Bob Geldof obviously didn't have lovely friends to make his day when he wrote 'I Don't Like Mondays' (way back in 1979, can you believe that?!) - perhaps he needs to take up quilting!

Where did that week go?

Not much to report on the quilting front for this week, although I did manage a few ten minute sessions here and there to do a some rows of my 'Le Jardin' quilt. Thank you to all the lovely perfectionist souls out there who left such encouraging, empathetic comments on my last post. I suspected I wasn't alone!

Call me a perfectionist ...

During my first conversation with a new acquaintance recently, my precious 12 year old daughter innocently volunteered the information that I am a perfectionist. The woman we were talking to suggested to my daughter that perhaps she didn't need to divulge her mother's bad habits so soon! Well, I have to say that I actually don't consider my perfectionist tendencies a bad habit. They make my life much more complicated than it needs to be, but it is how I have been made. As proof that I am comfortable with my perfectionist nature, I will share the following! For as long as I have been quilting, I have aspired to a perfect quarter inch seam. My seams have consistently been a smidgen too deep, which for most patterns isn't a problem. But I am really keen to master a perfect seam allowance before I attempt the scariest quilt on my 'to do' list - Miss Rosie's 'Summer Wind': As you may be able to see from the picture, the smallest seam error will simply compound as rows are added consecutively to the central block of this pattern. In my quest for accuracy, I came across this wonderful post and this one, which detail how to perfect a seam width which will give accurate block sizes every time. In summary, I build a temporary barrier from a wad of Post-it notes and tape it to my machine at a position which gives me a 'scant' 1/4 inch seam. As I sew a seam, the fabric butts up against the barrier as you can see in the photo, and prevents me from sewing too deeply. The little notch cut out of the Post-it notes accommodates the feed dogs below. If you are totally confused as to what I am on about, read the links I have listed. This technique has really worked for me. I have been teased about my perfectionism so many times, it no longer offends. So feel free to tease away! But call me 'anal' and that's quite another story!

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig

Another quick trip back to the farm house on the weekend to be with my Mum on the first anniversary of my Dad's passing. So another brief opportunity to be in my garden & take some photos. I have been inspired by Annie's Flower Garden collages so I have made one up using Flickr. Be sure to visit Annie's site for more beautiful blooms & stitching.

Blog friends & just a little bit of quilting

A little progress on 'Le Jardin'. The fabric is cut, now I just need some time to sew.Thank you to Chookyblue for her mention of me on her blog - I have lots of new friends today! And please wander over to Kerry's new blog and check out her very generous giveaway at her old blog, On the Hill.

12 weeks of quilting fun - OVER!

The last of my Mum's twelve quilt-a-long blocks are done. Have a quick look at Crazy Mom Quilts blog to see how she has put her blocks together as a quilt top. Looks great, but requires 430 x 2.5" square - yikes! Start cutting Mother!

Cats or dogs?

I rediscovered this cushion during our move. I stitched it years ago. From memory, I think it is a Bronwyn Hayes design, probably from very old issue of Australian Country Threads. They say the world is divided into cat lovers and dog lovers. I have to admit, I have a strong preference for dogs over cats, but this little slumbering kitty won me over! This cartoon makes me laugh & just sums the whole cat vs dog thing up really - the cheerful playfulness of a puppy vs the nonchalant superiority of a cat! And I found this link on One Little Acorn's blog today for all the dog lovers! "What kitty?"

Town mouse, country mouse!

We had a quick trip 'home' to the farm on the weekend, a month after moving to town. We are in the privileged position of not having to sell our little farm just yet, so we are able to visit from time to time & catch up with family, friends & the 'big garden'. Needless to say we spent a lot of time mowing as we have had a very wet 4 weeks & the garden has gone berserk. Of course, I couldn't visit without returning with some flowers - oh, how I miss my roses! The garden at the 'town house' is non-existent, as posted about previously. The house is very modern & really commands a modern style garden, you know, lots of architectural plantings, cordylines & black mondo etc - but I just don't think I can bring myself to have a rose-less garden.

Quilt infatuation?

I have been completely seduced by the quilt in the background of this photo since I first saw it on Kathrine's Quilte Stue blog ages ago. I love the simplicity of the design, the freshness of the fabrics and the prospect of a quilt that might go together quickly! The pattern is 'Le Jardin' by Australian designer Lynne Wilson of Threads of Time. Thought I would make it up in these luscious fabrics, Shangri La by 3 Sisters for Moda. My partner in fabric addiction, Peg, has made 'Le Jardin' in rich antique florals - you can see her lovely version here.